


Golden Baskets

by LettersofSky



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Date Night, Gold Saucer, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 14:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19871062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LettersofSky/pseuds/LettersofSky
Summary: Group Date at the Gold Saucer!aka, time to see who can win who the biggest prize! (even though we all know that Cloud's going to end up carrying them back to the rooms anyways)





	Golden Baskets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [necromancy_enthusiast](https://archiveofourown.org/users/necromancy_enthusiast/gifts).



> I HOPE I DID THIS OK  
> Especially because I've never been the most confident with writing Aerith or Tifa, even with the small practice things I did for them before editing and rewriting this.  
> IT WAS FUN TO DO THOUGH SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!!!!

The Gold Saucer was a lot to take in for a guy that’d grown up in the cold remote town of Nibelheim and for a girl that had grown up in the same frozen mountain town, as well as the girl that had grown up in the Slums of Midgar, stuck under the plates and unfamiliar with even the sky above. The bright artificial light and the sheer amount of wasteful luxury on display was a lot to take in, for all of them.

Cloud didn’t really know what to do with himself and it seemed that neither did the two women he was with; Tifa was looking around the brightly lit attractions through the entryways around them and Aerith was doing the same, though she wasn’t standing still like Tifa was and was instead moving from doorway to doorway, excited to be there and unsure of where exactly to start.

Cloud would have thought it cute if he wasn’t so nervous about the evening before him. Before them.

Actually, he did still find it cute. Because it was. Cute that is. Aerith was cute.

And pretty.

And nice. When she wasn’t beating him at his own game and dragging him into situations he wasn’t always so sure about, yes he was still a bit peeved at the whole Miss Cloud thing no matter how fun it had been.

Tifa was those things as well, just in different ways. Still good ways, yeah of course, just… different ones. Less cute and more… other things. Capable maybe?

Not… not that Aerith wasn’t capable it was just –

Cloud shook his head, huffing a breath and crossing his arms over his chest. He was thinking himself into circles and really needed to stop, just needed to focus on the night and the two ladies he was with and having a nice, fun time without worrying about anything else for once.

“Tifa! Cloud!” He blinked, turning his focus onto Aerith who had apparently come to a decision about what they should do first, nearly bouncing in the entryway of the arcade room in her excitement. “Come on you two! Let’s go win the biggest prize they have!”

“Don’t you want to check out other things first?” Tifa asked, amusement in her voice as they both started towards Aerith anyways. “So you don’t have to carry whatever it is around for the rest of the night? You don’t want to get tired halfway through exploring everything.”

“Of course not silly!” Aerith returned, green eyes sparkling and smile wide on her face. “If I get tired of carrying it then one of you will just carry it for me, won’t you? Don’t want to have my night ruined after all!” She ends that with a jaunty wink towards Cloud and Tifa.

Cloud snorted and Tifa simply shook her head with a soft laugh, neither of them saying anything to deny her words. They both knew she was right after all; they were just the slightest big wrapped around her fingers, just a smidgen.

Just the smallest most minute amount.

Not that either Cloud or Tifa really cared about that too much with Aerith beaming at them, turning to link her arms through one each of theirs and tug them both forward into the arcade with its loud, blaring sounds, crowded walkways, bright, vibrant lights and the smell of sugar and grease.

She dragged them past the motorcycle ride game, which Cloud couldn’t help but notice as they passed it that the screen was showing a very… familiar… path of road and how was that even – ?

Cloud wasn’t able to think too long on it as Aerith continued to pull him and Tifa along and further into the arcade, obviously guiding them towards something that had caught her attention.

“Basketball Toss?” Tifa and Cloud questioned together, looking over the game Aerith had dragged them over too. They looked at each other a moment, a silent acknowledge of their mutual words, before focusing back on the woman in front of them, the woman who was beaming at the both of them, just the barest hint of teeth showing in her grin.

“You wanna start here?” Tifa asked, fiddling with the fabric of the gloves covering her hands. Aerith nods, quick, rapid movements that Cloud can’t help but wonder how exactly they’re not uncomfortable for her neck. “Something in particular catch your attention? Or just the luck of the draw?”

“I just thought it looked like a neat place to start,” Aerith shrugged, looking far too innocent for someone that had gotten Cloud into drag just to infiltrate a pimp’s house and then threatened said pimp with grievous bodily harm.

“Right,” Cloud said, installing all of the belief he could into that one singular word. Which wasn’t much considering he knew everything he did about her. Tifa seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he was, as she set one of her hands on a cocked hip.

“You sure about that Aerith?” She questioned, raising a brow at the other woman.

“Absolutely!” Aerith beamed at them both, which was far less reassuring than she probably wanted it to be.

“Alright then,” Cloud shrugged, stepping up to join her at the game, looking it over with critical eyes. How was this thing even supposed to work? Did they just… score the most points they could? Was there a time limit or… something?

Cloud couldn’t –

“Well hello there my well-armed friend!” He jumped at the unexpected, loud and overly cheerful voice, head snapping to look towards the game runner grinning at him, sweeping his gaze between Cloud, Aerith and Tifa. “You looking to win a little something something for your lady friend? Lady friends?”

“Yeah he sure is!” Aerith exclaimed, grabbing onto Cloud’s arm and attaching herself to his side, drawing herself away from the game runner, ushering Tifa forward to join them so that she could do the same on his other side, something Cloud was sure she did just to see him flush a darker red than he already was. “He’s going to win us something amazing to take back home as souvenirs, isn’t he Tifa?”

“Yeah he is,” Tifa agreed, quieter than Aerith but shooting a teasing grin down at Cloud. “Big strong ex-SOLDIER, should be easy for him. Shouldn’t it Cloud?”

He looked between the two of them, feeling his face burn with the heat of the flush that had risen to it and cleared his throat, turning his attention forwards, though he steadily avoided looking anywhere close to the game runner’s probing eyes. “Yeah I uh, I guess so.” He said quietly, more mumbling the words than actually speaking them.

He didn’t think it was as easy as the girls were implying though, things like this had always caught him up short in the past. Something about depth and spatial awareness never failed to mess him up when he really needed it not to. But then again that described so many things in his life so really, what was he expecting?

But if Tifa and Aerith really wanted to see him try this out… then he would. For them.

“How do I uh…”

“How do you play?” The man prompted, not letting Cloud get out his question on his own time. Something that had Tifa stiffening against him slightly. Cloud didn’t understand why though, more than used to such behaviour himself. There really wasn’t any reason to be bothered by it, Aerith certainly didn’t seem to be on the other side of him, though how much of that was acting or not was up in the air. “Well it’s very simple! You get twenty throws to get as many baskets as you can, obliviously the more points you get the better the prize!”

That sounded easy enough. Cloud could handle that.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

“Alright then,” Cloud breathed, nodding his head in agreement to trying out the game. He’d try it out he guessed.

“Yay Cloud!” Aerith cheered, pressing herself against his side with a wide and bright grin, obviously pleased that he’s going along with all of this. “This is going to be so much fun! Just you wait and see!”

That sounded like the promise she’d used to get him to come out on the date with her and Tifa in the first place, a promise she’d given Tifa as well before stealing them both out of their rooms for the night. A full-proof plan if ever there was one.

“I’m sure it will be.”

Tifa snorted next to him, rolling her eyes fondly at the exchange. But she still nudged Cloud forward, towards the game in question, “come on. Let’s see how you do.”

“Ok.” Cloud doubted he would be very good but hey, they had the gil to spare and who knew? He might turn out pretty ok at it.

Twang! Twang! Twang!

“And another miss from our young SOLDIER friend!” The game runner declared, ducking from the last of Cloud’s throws, wildly off course and dangerous in its unpredictable path.

At least it was until Tifa caught it that was.

Cloud meanwhile was flushed up to his ears, decisively not meeting anyone’s eyes and focusing on the polished floor and the too bright lights that were reflecting off of it back into his eyes. He… he had ruined that so badly, that had been absolutely awful, a complete and utter failure.

Good going Cloud.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Aerith murmured at him, voice low and comforting like it had been back in Kalm after he’d told her everything that had lead up to him being in Midgar, her warm, soft hand rubbing his arm and trying to bring his sprits back up from the hole it had plummeted into. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, it just means you’re human like the rest of us.”

Cloud froze at that, turning to look at her.

That was… a statement he hadn’t felt could be true for him for quite a while. Being SOLDIER made him feel so… so removed, so detached from most everyone around him, like he was just a bit too different now to truly be considered human. It was… it was nice to still be considered human. Even if it was only just to reassure him.

It certainly worked.

“Thanks,” he offered weakly, trying his vest to at least half-smile at her. Aerith just grins at him and nudges him back up to standing straight, just in time to see Tifa take her first shot.

It sinks in perfectly.

As does the next one. And the one after that. And the next seventeen.

Wow.

“Oh wow! Tifa you’re so good!”

“Yeah,” Cloud agreed, clapping along with Aerith and making Tifa flush with her own pleased embarrassment, though she grinned at them with confident pride. “That was great Tifa.”

“It wasn’t much of anything,” she insisted, though it did absolutely nothing to diminish the smile on her face. “Really.”

“No need to be so modest,” Cloud insisted playfully, teasing her like she so enjoyed doing to him. “You did great.”

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes this time. “It’s not that difficult.”

“Well – “

“My turn now!” Aerith exclaimed, stepping forward and nudging Tifa out fo the way before Cloud could say anything in response to her. Which was probably for the best as there was no need for playful squabbling now.

Except that that didn’t stop Tifa from jabbing an elbow into his side. Which he curls away from, pushing her arm away from him because they’re supposed to be –

“Oh come on, you two!” Aerith pouts, playfully rolling her eyes at them. She dramatically rolls her whole self at them, ending the movement with the basketball she’s holding resting against her hip. “You’re supposed to be watching me, remember?”

“Sorry, Tifa was just – “

“Oh don’t blame it all on me!”

“It was all you though!”

“Guys!” Aerith whined, cutting them both off again and making them focus on her. “You’re being so rude to me! I haven’t even done something to deserve it!”

“Sorry,” they both said, keeping their arms, elbows and hands to themselves even as Cloud swayed into Tifa’s space, just because he could.

Aerith rolled her eyes at them again, poking her tongue out at them before turning back to the game, turning the ball over in her hands. She throws the ball and the first one misses the basket, getting a groan from both Cloud and Tifa.

The next one doesn’t though, it lands in the basket after rolling along the rim for a breath-catching moment, getting a much more positive reaction from her onlookers.

She lands half the baskets and misses the other half, pretty good for her first time and much better than Cloud had.

Needless to say, though Cloud hadn’t won anything he still got to carry around some pretty big prizes, one a Large Plush Golden Chocobo from the top row, curtesy of a very, very amused looking Tifa, and the other a smaller Moogle in a little purple dress that looked far too similar to another dress of the same colour for Cloud’s liking, that Aerith had presented to him with an overabundance of enthusiasm. Aerith had already named both of them and decided where they’d be set when they got back to their rooms that night, despite both her and Tifa having given the two plushes to Cloud.

But that was more than alright, they had a whole night to experience still.

Cloud was sure it’d be a night he’d remember for the rest of his days.

Silly nicknames and all.

**Author's Note:**

> I just imagine the three of them getting back to the rooms at the end of the night and Cid or Barrett just being all 'and who are you carrying those for Spiky' and Cloud's just -complete deadpan 'I couldn't get Tifa and Aerith to carry the prizes they won for me. They're so mean to me.'


End file.
